Letter from Stephen Cleasby concerning the case of Mr Smith who has been confined by a severe pain down one side which has retarded the improvement of a paralytic complaint for which Cullen had previously prescribed taking mustard seed.

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DOC ID

1865

RCPE Catalogue Number

CUL/1/2/944

Main Language

English

Document Direction

Incoming

Date

6 June 1780

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None

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Authorial original

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No enclosure(s)

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Summary

Letter from Stephen Cleasby concerning the case of Mr Smith who has been confined by a severe pain down one side which has retarded the improvement of a paralytic complaint for which Cullen had previously prescribed taking mustard seed.

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[Page 1]

Sir/

I am under a Necessity of again troubling you
relative to Mr. Smith, for whom I wrote to you about five
months ago. His Complaint was a Hemiplegia for
which you directed him to take Mustard Seed, & favored
us with other Hints, which we have carefully pursued.
We had your Concurrence in Regard to frequent small
Bleeding, he being of a plethoric Habit, had been
much accustomed thereto, the Blood having been
always sizy, often afflicted with Rheumatic Disorders& inflamatory Fever. We have bled to ten times
in this Space of Time without any appearance of
Debility from it. The Paralytic Complaint has
been rather abating than otherwise, but Mr. Smith
has been now confined to his Room a Month, by
slight Fevers, which make an Attack, & abate for a
few Days or a Week, & in the intermediate Time an
excruciating Rheumatic Pain which flies from the
Hip down to the Foot of the sound Side, so as to
deprive him totally of Rest, without the Assistance of
Opiates & they have now less Effect from their frequent
Use, & we have not dared to advance to a larger
Dose than twenty five drops of Thebaic Tincture lest we shou'd

We hope you will put us into a Plan of proceeding
to conquer this painful Disease, which prevents
his having the Benefit of the Season, which is now
growing favorable, & I believe were this done Mr. Smith
wou'd recover apace; for before he was afflicted in
this Way, he cou'd get about & visit his Friends
with Satisfaction. Being confined makes him weakbut the original Disease is not the least worse
but the contrary. He had declined taking the
Mustard before he was confined, as it lodged in the
Passages/ notwithstanding the Use of Laxatives of
Aloes & Soap/ & concreted into hard Lumps
which were obliged to be extracted, were difficult
to break & found to be nothing but the Seed &

Mr. Smith presents his most respectful Compliments &
hopes to have the Pleasure of seeing you at
Edinburgh sometime this Summer.

[Page 4]

Doctor William Cullen
Edinburgh

✍
Mr. Smith
Barnard Castle -
June 1780 &c.
V. XI. p. 27. -

Diplomatic Text

[Page 1]

Sir/

I am under a Necessity of again troubling you
relative to Mr. Smith, for whom I wrote to you about five
months ago. His Complaint was a Hemiplegia for
which you directed him to take Mustard Seed, & favored
us with other Hints, which we have carefully pursued.
We had your Concurrence in Regard to frequent small
Bleeding, he being of a plethoric Habit, had been
much accustomed thereto, the Blood having been
always sizy, often afflicted with Rheumatic Disorders& inflamatory Fever. We have bled to ten times
in this Space of Time without any appearance of
Debility from it. The Paralytic Complaint has
been rather abating than otherwise, but Mr. Smith
has been now confined to his Room a Month, by
slight Fevers, which make an Attack, & abate for a
few Days or a Week, & in the intermediate Time an
excruciating Rheumatic Pain which flies from the
Hip down to the Foot of the sound Side, so as to
deprive him totally of Rest, without the Assistance of
Opiates & they have now less Effect from their frequent
Use, & we have not dared to advance to a larger
Dose than gtt. xxv Tinct:thebaic lest we shou'd

We hope you will put us into a Plan of proceeding
to conquer this painful Disease, which prevents
his having the Benefit of the Season, which is now
growing favorable, & I believe were this done Mr. Smith
wou'd recover apace; for before he was afflicted in
this Way, he cou'd get about & visit his Friends
with Satisfaction. Being confined makes him weakbut the original Disease is not the least worse
but the contrary. He had declined taking the
Mustard before he was confined, as it lodged in the
Passages/ notwithstanding the Use of Laxatives of
Aloes & Soap/ & concreted into hard Lumps
which were obliged to be extracted, were difficult
to break & found to be nothing but the Seed &